We have information about “Articulator” that is described in DE 195 30 157 A1; A61C11/02, containing the upper plate for fixing the maxillary working model and lower plate for fixing the mandibular working model. The articulator is partially adjustable (Semiadjustable—SA) and could reproduce in terms of individual values not all but part of the basic lower mandible movements: opening and closing, protrusion, retrusion, laterotrusion, and mediotrusion—progressive lateral shifting.
The joint cavity in the mechanical joint is in the shape of rounded groove, which is located at the interior of the semi-circular body. Joint head of spherical shape fits in the joint cavity. At the front the articulator contains incisive pin and incisive platform with shaped up inclinations of incisive lead, on the left and on the right, versus the middle line. This articulator has the following shortcomings: both mechanical joints are interconnected at fixed distance; they are more massive and volumetric; in-between the lower and upper working plate there is greater distance thus hindering the connection of the working models to them; there is no fixing mechanical device that is supposed to maintain at the rear the intra-parallel upper and lower plate of the articulator; the incisive platform cannot rotate.
We have information about articulators (Semiadjustable) that from “nonarcon” turned into “arcon”—articulator condition. In the mentioned bibliography source N 2 is presented as Dentatus ARL (previous model—Nonarcon) was transformed into Dentatus ARA (new model—Arcon) and Hanau 96 H 20 (previous model—Nonarcon) was transformed into Hanau, H2 (new model—Arcon). In the cases of the two abovementioned articulators the mechanical joints in the new model are the same just like in the previous model, but with exchanged locations of the joint cavity and the joint head. The mechanical joints of the articulators arcon—Dentatus ARA and of Hanau, H2 correspond to the human temporomandibular joint: the joint head is located at the lower mandible, at articulator's lower shoulder correspondingly, and the joint cavity is at the upper mandible, at articulator's upper shoulder correspondingly, while in the case of nonarcon—the articulators Dentatus ARL and Hanau 96 H 20 is the opposite of the human temporomandibular joint: the joint head is at articulator's upper shoulder, and the joint cavity is at the lower shoulder and when operating them minimum inaccuracy is allowed. Thus their mechanical joints were reconstructed, in order to obtain the functional capacities of the arcon articulators.
There are various virtual articulators that are copies of the actually existing articulators with partial adjustability (Semiadjustable). They are applied in the computer programmes for preparing the dental prosthetic constructions according to the CAD/CAM technology. The dental prostheses are being constructed and modeled in the CAD device, via virtual juxtaposition between the virtual working models included in the virtual articulator. After completing their design they are sent to the CAM machine for milling them out of a ceramic or metal block.
We are searching for manners and means for: improving the capacities of this articulator class—“semiadjustable, arcon”; cutting down the materials consumption; facilitating the operations performed with them; improving the accuracy and precision when preparing dental prostheses.